I am addicted to granola. I like it plain. I like it with yogurt. I like it with milk. I like it paired with my morning coffee. And it tastes amazing pretty much any time of the day, so I can easily call it breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, or dessert. When you find a food like that, you hang on to it for dear life and consume a lot of it. As a result, I’ve done a lot of experimenting with granola recipes. There are so many great variations (another perk of granola!), but this recipe is my absolute favorite.

First, the clusters are humongous, and that’s part of what makes it so satisfying. Second, it tastes like those sweet roasted nuts sold at fairs and baseball games. You know the ones – you walk by and are instantly salivating. It tastes like that except it’s packed with nutritious ingredients.

Feel free to experiment with the ingredients. You can add in additional nuts, different seeds, and dried fruit or chocolate as well. The one thing I can’t stress enough is do not stir it! This is how you get the clusters. It should go into the oven in one big chunk on parchment paper, and then don’t touch it while it bakes or cools. Once it cools, you can break off big pieces and store in an airtight container. It’ll last for up to a month, but I doubt it’ll last that long (mine never does).

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Stir, and then add your wet ingredients to the dry ones. Stir well. Once the granola is thoroughly wet, place on the baking sheet. Smooth the granola down with a spoon to flatten it. Make sure to keep an eye on your granola so it doesn’t burn. My oven gets really hot, so it only takes about 20 minutes for mine to become lightly golden. I also rotate the pan halfway through so it bakes evenly. It might take your oven longer, so just check it frequently for that golden brown hue. Remember: Do not stir! Once you smooth your oats onto the pan, leave it alone until it’s cooled completely so you get those nice big clusters.

Once you remove your pan from the oven, let it cool. Once it has, you can break off clusters (in my opinion, the bigger the cluster the better) and enjoy. Store the rest in an airtight container.